International Vaccine Programmes: Funding

Lord Callanan Excerpts

Tuesday 17th June 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)]

That is a very important point. On the economics of this, we know that for every £1 invested through Gavi there is a return of around £54 through lives saved and fulfilling lives lived. As far as the UK is concerned, the noble Lord is right to remind us that we are leaders in devising vaccines and vaccine manufacture. Without a doubt, there is going to be a benefit from supporting Gavi further to GSK and others here in the UK. That is good, and it is important that we support that work, but the principal aim of this must always be health security and supporting developing countries in making sure their populations are vaccinated, for their good and everybody else’s, and that they can use that partnership to develop and support their own vaccination programmes in time.

[Lord Callanan (Con)]

My Lords, I think there is widespread agreement across the House on these programmes. To be fair, as the Minister pointed out in her initial Answer, the previous Government committed £1.65 billion between 2021-25, supporting Gavi to immunise some 300 million children and save up to 18 million lives from vaccine-preventable diseases. This is a vital programme. I understand that the Minister cannot give specific numbers at this stage, but perhaps she could set out the general role that the Government should play in global vaccine equity.

[Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)]

The noble Lord is right; I am not going to give a number this afternoon, because the replenishment is taking place next week. I will be attending, alongside the Foreign Secretary, and we will be making the announcement he talks about. I pay tribute to the previous Government for investing in and supporting Gavi. I am proud that it was started under a Labour Government and continued by successive Conservative Governments. We will continue to support it too, because it is such a successful initiative.